Cam-adjusting mechanism for knitting-machines.



No. 891,809. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908. G. L. BALLARD.

0AM ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

. APPLIOA'IIOH FILED Jun 4. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 891,809. I PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908. G. L. BALLARD.

0AM ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLIOATIOH IILBD JUNE 4. 1907.-

. IZI/GW 1 17565 C5 0C. @ww nx inafter described and particular GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD, OF NORRISTOWN,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILDMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF N ORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAM-AD J USTING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING-MACHI'N E S.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 30, 1908.

Application filed. June 4, 1907. Serial No. 377,221.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Ii. BALLARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at N orristown, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cam- Adjusting Mechanism for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to knitting machines and my object ,is to provide an attachment which may be applied to existing machines for operating the needle or stitch cams thereof and to produce different effects in the fabric.

By the use of my invention the manufacturer can build one line of machines which may be sent out to meet the requirements of one class of trade, and for supplying the demands of another class of trade, it will be simply necessary for him to appl my attachment to what may be termed tflis standard line of machines.

I have shown my invention applied to a knitting machine of the circular type and also as a plied to the cam rin or cylinder of such mac 11116, though it will I e understood that I do not limit myself in this respect as the fundamental principle of my invention may be embodied in other we sand with other forms, of machines than the one illustrated.

The invention consists in the features, combination and arrangement of arts herey pointed out in the claims.

In the accom anying drawings,Figure 1 is a plan view 0 the cam ring which as ordinarily carries the cams for the cylinder needles, my attachment being shown in place in connection with the said cam ring. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of the attachment in place upon the cam ring. Fig. 4 represents in detail one of the cams as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan View of one of the interchangeable cams adapted for use in connecipion with the attachment as shown at A In these drawings, 1, indicates the ring of a knitting head and 2 the cam ring supported thereon. This cam ring carries the cams for the cylinder needles, one of which is indicated at 3 in Fig. 2. This cam is carried by a 0st 4 which is normally pressed upwardly y a spring 5 arranged in.a socket or recess in the lower end of the post and bearing at its lower end in a socket 6 in the main ring 1. The upper end of the post projects above the'upper face of the carp ring and by means of this post the position of the cam vertically may be determined. In ordinary practice, a screw isemployed having its screw threaded stein threaded into the upper face of the cam' ring and having its head overlying the upper end of the post so that by turnin adjusted vertical is well known an tion.

In carrying out my invention I ap ly an attachment whereby the post 4 may be adjusted automatically for different knitting effects.

My attachment comprises a lever or rocker piece 7 having its inner arm 8 rounded and bearing upon' the upper end of the post 4, the said rocker piece eing pivoted at 9 to the bracket 10 of my attachment, which bracket is secured by screws 11 to the side face of the cam ring. The-outer arm 12 of the lever or rocker piece is also rounded and is borne .upon b the upper end of a movable post 13 whic is guided in an opening in the bracket 10 outside of the cam ring.

This form of mac ine needs no further descrip- The bracket, it will be noticed, part1 overlies the upper face of the cam ring to urnish' a support for the rocker or lever'7, but its main portion depends along the outer face of the cam ring. 7 v

The lower end of the post 13 is provided with an arm 14'firmly secured thereto and extending laterally therefrom. This arm extends laterally in both directions, as shown in Fig. 3, and it is provided with contact the screw the post ma be points or pins consisting in the present instance of the screws 1516, threaded through the said lateral extensions of the arm 14 and projecting below the same. These screws may be adjusted verticall throu h the arms and for holding them in ad juste position the said arms are split at 17, the sai split portions bein drawn together by screws 18 so that the a 'ustable pins or contact points 1516 will be securely clamped 1n the positions to which they are ad'usted. v V

lhe contact oints 15-46 extend down into the path of inclines 19-20 formed on the cam blocks or lates 21, which blocks 01' plates are secured y screws 22 to the ring 23 encirclingthe cam cylinder and resting upon the rin 1 of the knitting head. This rin is adapts to be adjusted circumferentia ly through any suitab e connections leading to the attern mechanism, and I have indicated at 24 a representative form of such connection, this consisting of a link pivoted at 25 to the ring.

When now the rin 23 is moved in one direction it will cause t e incline 1920, as the case may be, of the cam 21 to engage the contact oint or pin respectively 15 or 16 with whicff said incline is adapted to cooperate and this will raise the post 13 vertically through the bracket 10, thus causing the tilt ing of the rocker or lever 7 on its pivot and forcing downwardly the post 4 with the stitch cam 3 thereon to the predetermined osition for securing the desired knitting efect in the fabric. I

. When the ring 23 is moved circumferentially in the opposite direction to its first position the spring 5 will exert its force, elevate the post 4 and-raise the stitch cam to its former position for at this time the cam 21 will have been moved to the point to withdraw its incline from contact with the pin or screw 15 or 1 6 as the case may be.

The u ward movement on the upper position of the post 4 and the stitch cam 3 is determined by an adjustable stop screw 25 passing through a lug 26 on the bracket of the attachment and being set in any position to which it is adjusted by a set nut 27. This stop screw is engaged by a pin 28 extending laterall from t e post 13 into which it is screwe the said pin passing through a notch or slot 29 in the bracket by the walls of which it is guided and by which construction the cylindrical post 13 is held against circumferential movement so that the relation of the horizontal arm 14 and the contact points or screws 1516 will be maintained in relation to the o erating cam 21.

It will be observed from Fig. 3 that the contact screws 1516 may be adjusted to difierent elevations in relat10n totheir co6p-' eratin inclines on the cam and thus a different a justment of the needle cam will be se-' cured when the cam carrying rin 23 is moved in one direction from that W en the said ring is moved in the opposite direction, and furthermore, it will be understood that the cam inclines may be of difierent form and that the cam plates or blocks themselves may be removed and interchanged with blocks or cams of different form, so that a variety of different knitting efiects may be secured by proper adjustment of the parts and by the use of proper cams. For instance, a slack welt may be produced by an adjustment derived through the operation ofthe incline 19 against the contact screw 15, while a loose course will be roduced by the operation of the incline 20 o the cam against the contact screw 16. I therefore do not limit. myself to the form of the cam or to the use of two contact screws at each attachment. For instance, a form of cam such as shown in Fig. 5 may be used in connection with an attachment havin tendin in one direction on y from the 0st 13, sue for instance as indicated at A in I ig. 1. This last mentioned cam and the attachment shown at A would elfect adjustment of the needle or stitch cam when the ring 23 is moved only in the one direction.

As shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of attachments may be disposed at different oints around the cam ring in machines emp oying a plurality of feeds and the attachment at one point may effect a different adjustment of its cam from the attachments at the other points or feeds. I I From the above it will be seen that I rovide an attachment for a knitting mac ine which may be applied to machines as now constructed and that by the use of my invention the manufacturer will not have to build a special line of machines for the trade requiring the adjustments of the stitch cams which my attachment is capable of producing,but on the contrary, the machines may be sent out without my attachment for one class of trade, and m attachment may be supplied or fixed to this standard line of machlnes in order to meet the requirements 'of another class of trade.

What I claim is 1. In combination with the cam ring of a knitting head and its cam, an attachment consisting of a bracket removably secured exteriorl of said ring and operating means carried t ereby for ad usting the cam and the circumferentially movable ring with means thereon for actuating said operating means,

substantially as described.

2. In combination 'with the cam carrier or sup ort of a knitting machine, a post connecte to the cam and mounted to move vertically therein and extending above the same, and an adjusting means located wholly exteriorly of said cam support or carrier and acting on the upper end of the said post for communicating adjusting movement to the said post, and means for operating automatically said adjusting means, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a knitting machine, a cam carrier or support, a cam carried thereby, a circumferentially movable ring, a post carrying the cam and movable vertically of the cam ring, and operating connections between said circumferentially movable mem her and said post said operating connections being arranged exteriorly of the said cam carrier or support and acting on the u per part of the 0st, substantially as descri ed.

4. In com ination in a knitting machine, a cam carrier or support, a cam, and means for the arm 14 exthe outer side of said cam carrier, and concam, a vertic nections exten therefrom u wardl outside the carrieg i fwardly, and 5101108 lownwardl to the said cam, and a bracket remova l secured to the cam carrier forholding sai member, substantially as described.

5 In combination in a knitting machine, a cam carrier or support, a cam, and means for adjusting the cam comprising a post movable vertically on the outer side of saidsupport,

and connecting means between the same and the said cam extending over the top of the cam ring, substantially as described.

6. In combination in a knitting machine, a cam carrier or support, a cam, a vertically movable member with means for operating the same automatically and means for transmitting a reverse movement from said vertically movable member to the cam, substantially as described.

7. In combination in a knitt' g machine, a cam carrier or support, a cam, a vertically movable post carrymg'the same, a vertically movable post on the outer side of the cam carrier or su port, means for operating the last mentione post, and means for transmitting the movement of'the outer 0st to the inner post, substantially as descri ed.

8. In combination in a knitting machine, a cam carrier or support, a cam, a vertically movable post carrying the same, a vertically movable post on the outer side ofthe cam carrier or sup ort, means for operating the last mentioned post, and means for transmitting the movement of the outer post to the inner post, said means comprlsing a rocker, or lever, intermediately pivoted. and

having its arms engaging respectively the inner and outer scribed.

9. In combination in a knitting machine, a cam carrier or su port, a cam, a rocking lever intermediately pivoted to move in a vertical plane and extending over the cam rin to press the cam down, the inner end of sai lever being in connection with the cam, means for raising the cam and means engaging the outer end of said lever for operating the same, substantially as described.

10. In combination with a cam carrier or support, a needle cam,-a vertically movable post, a bracket removably secured to the cam carrier and in which the post moves, a circumferentially movable cam for operating said vertically movable post and a connection from said vertically. movable post to the cam, substantially as described.

11. In combination with the cam and its carrier or sup ort, a post connected to the y movable member, a rocker between the same and the post and a cam for operating the vertically movable member, substantially as described.

posts, substantially as de- 12. In combination with the cam and carrier or support, a bracket attached to said support, a post vertically'movable in said bracket, a rocker ivoted to the bracket and in connection the needle cam, and a circumferentially movable cam, on the outer side of said carrier or support for operating the vertically movable member, substantially as described.

13. In combination, a cam carrier or support, a cam, a post to which the camis connected, a second vertically movable post,

means for adjusting the said post vertically and automatically, an operated connection between the posts, a bracket carrying said operating connection and the vertically movable post, a spring for prwsing the cam upwardly and a stop screw for limiting the downwardmovement of the vertically movable post, substantially as described.

14. In combination, a cam ring, a bracket attached thereto, a vertically movable post in said bracket, said bracket having a'guide way or notch 29, a in on the post extending therethrough, an a justable stop for limiting the movement of the said post by engaging thepin, means for adjusting the post, and a connection from the said post to the needle cam, substantially as described.

15. In combination, a cam carrier or su port, a cam thereon, means for adjusting t e cam comprising a vertically movable 0st having at its lower end a laterally extending portion, an adjustable in or screw extending vertically through said laterally extending portion, and a cam having sliding movement and e a the said adjustable in or screwjs iib s iiitially as described. p

- 16. In combination, a cam carrier or support, a cam adjustably mounted thereon, a vertically movable 0st having at its lower end a pair of adjusta le pins or screws, a conmotion between the post and the cam, and a camhaving double inclines for engaging one or the other of said adjustable ins according to the direction of movement 0? the cam, substantially as described.

17. In combination, a cam'carrier or su port, a vertically adjustable cam, a vertically movable 0st with a connection from its upper end to said cam, said post being arranged on the outside of the cam carrier, a circumferentially movable ring, and an interchangeable cam carried by the said ring for operating the post vertically, substantially as descri ed 18. In combination in a knitting machine, a cam carrier or support, a cam having a per tion attached thereto extending to the top of the cam carrier or support, a vertically movable member on the outer side of the cam carrier, a bracket carrying said vertically moving member and removably attached to the cam carrier, a connection between the 11 per end of the said vertically In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature movabledmem er and the to of the callrli porin presence of two witnesses. tion, sai connection exten ing over t e to v of the cam carrier, and a circumferentiallg GEORGE LAWSON 5 movable cam arranged below the bracket and Witnesses:

operating the vertically movable member, CARRIE LANDIS, substantially as described. GEO. R. RALSTON. 

